


Market Date

by lookoutol_mackeyisback



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Cute Yamaguchi Tadashi, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Pining, Prompt Fic, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Tumblr Prompt, Yamaguchi Tadashi's Freckles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookoutol_mackeyisback/pseuds/lookoutol_mackeyisback
Summary: On one unsuspecting Sunday, Yamaguchi invites Yachi-san on his weekly "date" with Tsukishima. Kei thinks this is definitely his worst trip to the marketplace.Prompt fic from Tumblr: cold lemonade / crowded marketplace / windyThank youabstractelysiumfor beta reading/editing and just being so freaking awesome. Love you!
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 126





	Market Date

Kei bites his bottom lip.

He is tired of waiting, and his fingers are going numb. Yamaguchi promised to meet him at the edge of the outdoor marketplace like he has been doing for the past few months.

The plaza bustles with activity. It's 3:14pm and Yamaguchi still isn’t here. 

At 3:21pm, a familiar freckled face comes bounding out of the crowd, brown hair with its usual unkempt messiness. 

Kei looks down at his watch. “Yamaguchi. You’re late. _Twenty-one_ minutes. New record.”

Kei smiles to himself, because Yamaguchi is _always_ late. To anyone else, this would be a significant hindrance when choosing a best friend. But not to Kei because it was _endearing_ , a vital part of what made Yamaguchi, so - _Yamaguchi_. He started a game after the third or fourth time, guessing how long it would take his best friend to arrive. 

“Oh! I know, I’m so sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi puts his hands on his knees, breathing hard. 

“Just, wait.” Kei puts his hand on Yamaguchi’s back, where it arches downward, feeling bad that Yamaguchi clearly ran here, in his attempt to be on time. “Catch your breath.”

Yamaguchi reaches into his pocket for his inhaler and takes two puffs. He wears a winsome smile and scrunches his nose up at Kei when his breathing slows. “Did you guess correctly?”

Kei readjusts his glasses and nods. “Yup.”

Yamaguchi grins widely and gives Kei a thumbs up. “Nice, Tsukki!”

Kei snorts a little. Yamaguchi turns around suddenly when he hears his name being called through the crowd. 

“ _Yamaguchi-san!_ Yachi’s blonde bob is striding out from behind a taller man with glasses walking slowly next to an older woman. “Sorry! _Sorry_ \--” She says as she bumps into the woman, then waves back at the two boys standing in the plaza. “I’m here! I’m coming!”

“Oh, hi, Yacchan!” Yamaguchi turns to greet her as she strides up to them. Yamaguchi turns back to Kei. “Um, Tsukki -- I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Yacchan today.”

Kei bites his bottom lip a little harder and shrugs. “Um... okay. I guess. Hello, Yachi-san.”

She smiles brightly and bows deeply at Kei. “Hello, Tsukishima-san. Thank you for letting me come with you today! Yamaguchi-san told me he often goes with you on Sundays and I heard they have a bigger selection here! I haven’t been to this one in particular -- I usually go to the one closer to Karasuno.” 

There is a reason for that. 

Kei doesn’t mind traveling a bit further away so they never have the unfortunate circumstance of running into their teammates. When Kei is with Yamaguchi, he doesn’t want to think about making small talk with the other members of the Karasuno Crows. Plus, when they are further away, Kei gets to be warm and open with his best friend. Kei gets a little lost in thought, trying to find reasons why Yachi would have been invited. 

Yamaguchi had acted a little differently last week. They had walked arm-in-arm the whole way. Yamaguchi had put his head on Kei’s shoulder. They didn’t even shop, really. Kei had loved every minute of it. It was peaceful. It felt right. 

Then, this week, Yamaguchi had texted Kei on Saturday morning, canceling on him for their weekly market trip. But when Kei asked why, Yamaguchi had backtracked, had texted Kei that he would be there. And that was the end of it. And now Yachi was _also_ here, with them, on Sunday afternoon. 

Yamaguchi seems more nervous, more apprehensive about being close to Kei. As far as Kei is concerned, this is a step backwards. That much is abundantly clear. Okay, no problem. _Right?_ Thinking about it makes Kei’s brain hurt. He purses his lips together in a thin line. 

_Well, now I have to share my Sunday afternoon with Yachi-san, too. Is this going to be a regular thing?_

He thinks a little harder, realization blooming in his mind. _Oh no._ He stares at the two of them. Yachi looks at Yamaguchi, then at Kei, eyes bright, with a smile. 

_How could I be so stupid. This is Yamaguchi’s date -- with Yachi. How did I not see it before? I guess Yamaguchi was just nervous and needed a friend to bring along. Why didn’t Yamaguchi tell me?_

Kei cringes and pushes air from his lips, letting his inquiries stew. He takes a very deep breath and smiles half-heartedly at Yachi and Yamaguchi. If this is a date, Kei will be happy for them. _Even if it kills him._

Kei’s two friends start chatting about the vendors and then make a plan as to where they should shop that afternoon. Kei’s too far in his own head to pay enough attention. He tucks his hands into his jacket pockets and follows forlornly when Yamaguchi tells him to “keep up, Tsukki!”. 

___

“Look at this, Yamaguchi-san!”

Kei walks behind Yamaguchi and Yachi, who are now arm-in-arm. Occasionally, they will whisper to each other, just out of ear shot. Kei usually wouldn’t care if he was excluded, but today everything is different. It's annoying. He wants to be the one next to Yamaguchi. 

Yachi points to a stand with small wooden handmade trinkets, and guides Yamaguchi toward the vendor, who smiles as they approach. 

Kei stews. He and Yamaguchi have been doing this for several months now. Sundays are special, reserved for Kei and Yamaguchi. Kei’s brain quickly lists all things he enjoys about these days and wonders if Yamaguchi enjoys the same things. He likes seeing Yamaguchi’s cowlick bounce up and down as he walks. He likes it when Yamaguchi laces their arms or hands together, a little secret only they share. He likes watching Yamaguchi’s eyes glow when they get to the meat bun stand. He likes staring when he sips on cold lemonade, the bitter flavor causing him to pucker his lips. He likes imagining himself, fingers soft on a freckled face, leaning down to brush his lips against Yamaguchi’s inviting mouth. 

“Tsukki, look! The meat buns!”

Kei looks, drawn out from his thoughts. “Hm. Do you want to get some today?”

Yamaguchi stops. “Ooohhh! Yacchan, you HAVE to try them! The meat buns here are _soooo good!_ Better and way bigger than the ones at Sakanoshita!” 

“Woah!” Yachi’s eyes light up even brighter than Yamaguchi’s.

Yachi and Yamaguchi hurry over to the stand and Kei buys three, one for each of them. Yachi tries to pay, but when Kei insists, she gets all flustered and bows real low, thanking him profusely. He has to tell her it is fine, that she could pay for meat buns the next time. But she still seems completely thrown off balance for the next hour. Kei just blushes at her sudden unnecessary gratitude towards him. He _almost_ feels bad for her. She is just so...busy. She is nice, certainly, but Kei does not see the appeal she holds in Yamaguchi’s eyes. She doesn’t seem to appreciate Yamaguchi the way Kei does. Additionally, she had stolen a perfectly good day with _his_ best friend away from him. Silently, Kei thinks he maybe shouldn’t have come at all. 

He holds back his tongue when the last thought surfaces in his mouth.

They stop one more time so Yamaguchi can get some lemonade. 

“Tsukki, it’s so cold!” Yamaguchi runs over toward where Kei and Yachi are waiting for him. Yamaguchi bobs closer to his best friend, shivering with the lemonade clutched between both hands. 

Kei smirks down at Yamaguchi. “Why did you have to get cold lemonade on a cold day, then?”

“Because you know how good meat buns taste with fresh lemonade!”

Kei smirks again. He knows. Absent-mindedly, he runs his hands up and down quickly over Yamaguchi’s back, a feeble attempt to warm him up. Yamaguchi hums, and leans in, pulling his arms around Kei and hugging him. At the sudden affection, Kei relaxes. His fingers stop moving and he just holds Yamaguchi for a moment.

They have hugged before, of course. Often when Yamaguchi is cold, but sometimes, when Kei wants to. The world fades when Yamaguchi is in his arms. A serene peace that makes Kei’s insides itch with the need for more. 

In the corner of his glasses he spots Yachi, who is not really paying attention, as she turns to look at something interesting at one of the nearby stands. Kei blinks, remembering whose date this is, and solemnly steps back from the embrace. In Kei’s busy mind, the moment shatters, a million pieces of his heart along with it. 

Kei had barely noticed the light growing dimmer as the sun steadily dropped behind the mountains. It was nearly dark now. Yamaguchi looks to Yachi and then up at Kei. “I- I suppose we should all get back, right, Tsukki?” 

Kei looks away. His earlobes feel suddenly hot with embarrassment and his insides congeal. He curls his lips down and agrees. 

Yamaguchi tosses his lemonade into the trash and they make the trek back to the station. 

___

Kei shoves his headphones around his neck when they get on the train. Kei decides it might be best, after that selfish moment, to let Yachi and Yamaguchi converse without him for a while. He steps onto the train and eyes two open seats, but ultimately stands instead. His body is restless. He puts on his headphones. Maybe the music will make Kei forget all about this horrible, horrible day he didn’t get to have with Yamaguchi. 

Yamaguchi decides not to sit next to Yachi. He grabs the metal pole in the middle of the train, and Kei slips his headphones off his ears, confused. 

“Don’t you want to sit next to Yachi?”

“Nope, too restless.”

Kei guesses it’s just a force of habit for Yamaguchi and tells himself to ignore this new development. Yachi opts to sit, getting out her phone to text someone. 

_She’s probably texting Yamaguchi. Telling him how great the date was but maybe they don’t have to invite Tsukishima-san for the next time?_ Kei imagines Yachi’s voice, whispering the words to Yamaguchi through text. 

_Yeah. Yamaguchi’s phone will go off any minute now and he will smile at the screen when it does and reply with a winky face and a cute text about how sorry he is that Tsukki had to come along in the first place. Then Yamaguchi will go sit by her and maybe they will press their bodies close together and I won’t ever get to be with him..._

For their second date, Kei will make sure he isn’t there. 

Kei waits, watching for Yamaguchi to get out his phone to read the text. But it never happens. There are no dings or buzzes. 

In fact, it’s unusually quiet. The silence unnerves him. On train rides, Yamaguchi usually talks to Kei about Pokemon and Kei regales Yamaguchi with facts about penguins, but today, all the words Kei wants to say get left behind at the market place as they zoom onward. The train jostles them back and forth and Yamaguchi leans closer.

Then, the car turns abruptly and Yamaguchi grabs Kei’s hand, steadying himself. 

Kei blushes. But he doesn’t let go. 

When the car shifts again, Yamaguchi grabs a hand railing instead. He turns his face away so Kei can’t see. 

They reach the Karasuno stop and the trio disembark. They take the stairs in silence and head toward the street lamp on the corner. The curb sparkles in dark outlines of black and grey with beams of yellow illuminating a nearby trashcan and a bench. When they reach the bottom, Yachi turns to both boys.

“Um...Kiyoko-senpai said she would pick me up here, sorry! I hope you don’t mind. I will see you both tomorrow!” 

With a wave she walks away, leaving them alone. Yamaguchi turns to Kei. “Walk me home?”

“It’s late and you’re cold. You don’t want to take the bus?”

“Nah, I want to walk with you.”

His heart smiles a little. He feels the frustrations from earlier slowly smoothing themselves out. He attempts to hide the fact that the knot in his gut loosens, and he thinks he does an okay job. The corners of his lips creep up anyway. He shrugs, trying to hide his face. 

“Yeah, okay.”

___

They are pretty close to Yamaguchi’s when Yamaguchi pipes up. “Today was kind of fun, wasn’t it? It was really nice seeing Yacchan and showing her those meat buns.”

The knot tightens. “Yeah, sure.”

Kei looks at Yamaguchi for any sign of disagreement, but he only sees Yamaguchi’s pretty eyes staring up at him. 

_Has he been looking at me this whole time?_ Kei quickly diverts. _No, probably not. God, I’m hopeless._ He stares at the dirt, pretending to find something vastly interesting and new with each step he takes. 

They approach Yamaguchi’s front porch and Kei stops, several steps away. Yamaguchi hustles up the stairs, still shivering. He turns to face him. 

Kei’s stupid brain frets as they stand several feet apart. _Well, this is it. The last time. Yamaguchi and I are through. Our friendship is over, probably. Now that he and Yachi will be dating regularly, my best friend will no longer have any time for me._

“Tsukki, are you okay?”

Yamaguchi's sweet caramel voice cuts through the quiet evening sounds, even though Kei feels like someone just unplugged an amp that had been rattling his brain all day. 

“Hmm...?” 

He stares at Yamaguchi’s red cheeks and dark freckles. Yamaguchi is still shivering. It’s heartbreakingly adorable. He’s exhausted from all the thinking and rummages for an excuse to get away. “Yeah, I just have a... headache. And besides, you’re cold. Go inside.”

“Oh.” Yamaguchi looks disappointed as he shivers some more, clutching his elbows as the wind picks up. Kei turns to leave but Yamaguchi falters, “No...no, Tsukki. Um...here.”

He descends the porch stairs and grabs Kei's wrist. Kei’s eyes widen as his best friend pulls him inside the warmth of the house. 

Kei doesn’t fight it and Yamaguchi doesn’t stop. He leads them up to his room, barely yelling out a quick, “Mom! I’m home!” before Yamaguchi closes the door behind them. 

Kei glances quickly around the room, remembering the shivering. He grabs Yamaguchi’s volleyball jacket. It was right where he had left it on Friday night, when they had watched movies together. As he picks it up, Kei thinks that night is lightyears away from where they are now. He shoves it into Yamaguchi’s arms. “You’re cold. Here.”

Yamaguchi startles. “Uh. Thanks. Tsukki.”

A moment passes when they don’t say anything to each other. Kei should leave. He should just go, and try to force himself to begin the process of moving on. He still has no idea how he will simply stop being in love with Yamaguchi. But for Kei, it's way too late to say anything now. Yamaguchi deserves to be happy anyway, so for the sake of his friend, he will drown any indication of his disappointment.

He’s not shivering anymore, but Yamaguchi puts on the jacket anyway and turns on the light. Kei breaks the silence, remembering his excuse. 

“I’m gonna go.” He puts his palm on the doorknob. 

“Wait.”

Kei turns around as his heart skips a beat. “What.”

“You were really quiet today.”

“Yeah, so?” Yamaguchi will forgive him for his coldness later, but Kei still hates the way he can’t stop the irritation from surfacing. 

“Did you have fun?”

 _No._ Kei turns his head. “Yeah,” he lies. He tries to copy the look Yamaguchi gives him when Kei blocks a volleyball. He thinks he is smiling, but Yamaguchi doesn’t seem to buy it.

“Okay, um. I thought it was nice to see Yacchan, but I think it actually made it more awkward than I thought.”

 _What?_ Kei forgets he is supposed to be leaving and his curiosity gets the better of him. “Why?” 

_Why?_ His brain repeats. _It was.... awkward for him?_ Yamaguchi is not supposed to know all the horrible things Kei thought about Yachi. Or the nice things he thought about Yamaguchi. Or the fact that he really, really just wanted to spend time with Yamaguchi today, and maybe pick up where they left off last week. And maybe, this time with more touching...and kissing and… _Oh god._

“Um, you know we have been going to the market on the other side of town for a while now, just the two of us?”

“Yeah.”

“Well...I kind of. Um. Maybe like it better. When it’s just...us. You know? Um...” 

Yamaguchi squints his eyes tight and looks at Kei’s shoes as he begins to ramble. “I tried to do something, by having Yachi there, and I don’t think it worked and I thought inviting her would help me get up the courage to…” Yamaguchi glances up at Kei’s wide eyes, “Um!” He glances down again, embarrassed, “Anyway, I tried something and it clearly didn’t work, like, _at all_ and I hated seeing you that way all day—” 

“Yamaguchi?”

 _Maybe...maybe?_ He holds his breath as he hopes. He hopes and waits patiently for Yamaguchi to speak again. But Yamaguchi only scratches bashfully at the back of his head and says, “Yeah.” 

Kei doesn’t reply. His breathing is too erratic and his heart is thumping too hard and his body sort of froze sometime while Yamaguchi was talking. He shuffles awkwardly then, and his joints elevate. Yamaguchi jostles his hands, the jacket sleeves slide further down his arms to rest over his thumbs. A few seconds go by before Yamaguchi cuts the tension again. His words are spilling onto the hardwood and Kei is struggling to gather them all up and shove them into a jar he can keep forever.

“Did you know?” Yamaguchi shakes his head and repeats, “Did you know that Yacchan...has a crush on Kiyoko-san?”

“What?” Kei’s brain breaks. 

“Yeah, she told me, um, this week. Tuesday, I think.”

_This week? Tuesday was a long time ago. So... Yamaguchi knew that Yachi wasn’t interested in him, and he brought her along because he was nervous…about being...with me? Was it possible that Yamaguchi…likes me back?_

“No, I didn’t know that.”

Another second later, Kei sits down on Yamaguchi’s bed. He’s processing heavily, picking up the words and making sure they are still in the same order that Yamaguchi said them in as he files them away. Each word he unpacks brings sparks to Kei’s ribcage. He realizes his vision is a little blurry and he’s so happy he might cry. He shouldn’t though, because there’s nothing wrong, not at all. Not really. Not anymore.

And for the first time that day, Kei really smiles; the one he saves especially for times like this, moments when it's just the two of them. Big and wide and unafraid. Yamaguchi notices. It’s a relief.

Now that Kei’s face isn’t scrunched anymore, Yamaguchi looks relieved, too, as he says, “So, did you want to go to the market next week? Just us -- I mean. I hear there is going to be live music.” 

Kei could kiss Yamaguchi. He stands up instead. 

“Yeah, sure. Make sure you bring a warmer coat.” 

Yamaguchi mirrors him, a glorious grin that’s all teeth and dimples and Kei melts. Yamaguchi’s eyes are bright again, and his hair is still sticking up from the way the wind pushed it around earlier. Kei resists the urge to smooth it down.

Yamaguchi crosses the room and wraps his arms around Kei’s waist. It’s warm and perfect in all the right ways. The smile hasn’t left Kei’s face, and Yamaguchi sighs and hums into Kei’s shoulder happily. Kei breathes in Yamaguchi’s shampoo and pulls him tighter to his chest. The knot that tormented Kei for the majority of the day disintegrates on the floor in a pile of smoke. Kei thinks now that it's not likely to return, not when Yamaguchi is here, hugging him, holding him, maybe even liking him back.

Yamaguchi’s mother calls from downstairs. _“Tadashi! Did you finish your homework?”_

Yamaguchi, arms still around his best friend, gazes up, eyes wide. 

“ _Oh, crap!_ Tsukki will you help me study??!!”

Kei chuckles. “Yeah. Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kei overthinks everything and I love him so much but I love you all so so much more. 
> 
> Um thanks for reading my stuff. You're really awesome, you know. Yes, I'm talking to you. Stranger who is reading this through the internet. I love you. 
> 
> Comment if you liked it! <3


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